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I am not huge on sweet desserts so the idea of something rich and flavourful but also subtle is my idea of a great dessert. Today I will be making an italian dessert, called Panna Cotta, which is more or less a cooked cream which has gelatine added so that it comes out like a super rich textured and flavoured jello pudding. I will be flavouring the Panna Cotta with ground pistachio and topping it with a gastrique made from fresh blackberries. This recipe is dedicated to a long time friend and supporter of the blog and the Braised Blue: Year One project. She is sweet but not too sweet and though I doubt she would condone using this much cream in anything she would love this recipe. Karlene Nielsen this one is for you.

The Panna Cotta:

Ingredients:

2 Cups Heavy Cream

1 Cup Half and Half

3 tbs Sugar

1/2 cup Pistachio (ground)

1 Lemon (zest)

1 tbs Gelatine

3 tbs Cold water

Directions: In a sauce pan on medium head add your cream, half and half, sugar, pistachio and lemon zest. Stir regularly. You want the sugar to slowly dissolve into the cream while it slowly comes up to heat. The pistachio will also begin to impart their mild flavour and a little colour to the mixture. Keep a close eye on this sauce pan as the cream will be ready as soon as it begins to bubble up. You want the cream to just begin to scald but no more. The cream will bubble up quickly so really being vigilant is huge. Once it begins to bubble up take the sauce pan off heat and set it aside. You then in a mixing bowl take your cold water and sprinkle your gelatine into the water making sure it dissolves. You then spoon in some of your cooked cream and begin to whisk the cream and gelatine water together. You then add the contents of the mixing bowl back into the sauce pan and whisk for a few minutes to integrate the gelatine throughly into the cooked cream. You then take ramekins coat those with vegetable oil and pour in your cream. This should fill about 6-8 ramekins depending on size. You then place the ramekins into the fridge and allow them to set for 4-6 hours. To remove the Panna Cotta once set run the bottom of the ramekin under hot water and run a knife along the sides to dislodge the panna cotta from the container. Flip upside down and the Panna Cotta should slide right out.

The Gastrique:

Ingredients:

1 Cup Blackberries (fresh)

2 tbs sugar

Olive Oil

Balsamic Vinegar

Directions: In an oiled sauce pan on medium heat place your blackberries and begin to cook them down. After a few minutes add your sugar and continue to cook until the berries have broken down into almost a paste. Then add a few splashes of balsamic and reduce until the consistency of the sauce is like maple syrup.

Putting It Together: On a plate place your Panna Cotta and top it with a healthy amount of the gastrique. Garnish with some lemon zest.